India Nixes Visit by Israeli Prof

The Indian government has refused to grant a visa to Hebrew University Prof. Shlomo Avineri who has been invited by one of India’s most prestigious “think tanks” to participate in a conference on Soviet bloc developments in December.

Avineri, an expert on Marx and Communist theory and one of Israel’s leading Sovietologists, said he received his invitation a year ago from the Indian School of Political Economy. He said he has since received many inquiries from the school about the paper he was to present at the conference.

He said he would inform other prospective participants of the Indian government’s refusal and expected that some would decide to boycott the meeting. Avineri served for a time as Director General of the Foreign Ministry under Shimon Peres.